Note: These articles are more for discussion purposes before E3. They'll be short, sweet, and to the point for a brief recap and looking into possible characters/stages for each series in Smash Bros. These also go by a "Don't expect too much" philosophy. Please remember to be civil in the comments discussion.
The Pokemon series has had a big presence behind in the Smash Bros. series;. While it's not as omnipotent as Mario's presence in Smash Bros., Pokemon has always had a ton of content without spin-off franchises included. With the original Super Smash Bros., Pokemon was one of two franchises with two characters (Pikachu and Jigglypuff) and a stage. Super Smash Bros. Melee brought the total number of characters up to four with the addition of Mewtwo and Pichu and two stages. Super Smash Bros. Brawl removed Mewtwo and Pichu, it also added two new characters in the form of Pokemon Trainer and Lucario, keeping the total at four characters. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U had a final total of six characters, with the removal of Pokemon Trainer, the return of Charizard as a stand-alone character, the introduction of Greninja, and later the return of Mewtwo as the first DLC character. Smash Wii U/3DS also had four stages across the two versions.
So, what can we expect this time?
Returning Characters
Pikachu and Jigglypuff are bound to return in Smash Bros. for Switch - That's very certain. Beyond that? It's almost anyone's guess. Greninja, Charizard, Mewtwo, and Lucario are honestly a toss up, but all of them are still high in popularity and likely to return. Unfortunately, Pokemon Trainer was a bit too ambitious to work, and Squirtle/Ivysaur on their own don't seem all that likely. Pichu? It's another toss-up; if the roster is feeling really generous with Downloadable Content, I can see this.
New Characters
Pokemon has a lot of characters, but thankfully, most of them aren't prominent. Chances are it'll scope down to either a starter or some other iconic Pokemon. The biggest toss-ups for this are Gen 7 (Decidueye and Incineroar probably being the safest bets). Considering how early in Generation 6's development Greninja was finalized for Smash 3DS/Wii U, a Generation 8 Pokemon is also a possibility, though . Pokemon will have at least a new character for advertising sake, but probably just one, plus a returning veteran.
Returning Stages
Kalos Pokemon League and one of the Pokemon Stadium stages seem the most likely, though PokeFloats is a possibility as well.
New Stages
Something from Pokemon Switch and/or the Alola region.
Author's Note: What are your thoughts on the Pokemon franchise? What Pokemon related content would you like to see in Smash for Switch? Let us know in the comments below!